Le Lab Presents: Measuring and Mimicking Biology with David Walt
Wyss Core Faculty member David Walt, Ph.D. presented a talk at Le Laboratoire Cambridge on January 23rd 2019, titled Measuring and Mimicking Biology: Eyes, Noses, Genes and Proteins. Walt and his team have taken inspiration from both the visual and olfactory systems to design sensor arrays that are inspired by the properties of the natural systems. Optical fiber arrays that mimic the structure of the compound eyes of insects are used to create sensing arrays based on principles of the mammalian olfactory system. Many design features of mammalian systems are incorporated into these array sensors and the resulting sensing behavior recapitulates the natural system. In addition, the architecture of the arrays has revolutionized the scale of both genomic and proteomic data that can be collected. Such capabilities are transforming health care.